Dump car



W. H. YOST May 4, 1937.

- DUMP CAR FiledJan. 5, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l JNVENTOE.

w. H. YOST May 4, 1937.

DUMP CAR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 5, 1933 May 4, 1937. w. H. YOST 2,079,392 DUMP CAR Filed Jan. 5, 1953 "s Sheets-Sheet s \NVENT R.

Patented May 4, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE DUMP CAR Application January 5, 1933, Serial No. 650,207

7 Claims.

My invention relates to the well known Crosshopper type of railroad car. These cars are built for carrying bulk freight, such as coal, ore and sand, etc., and the contents being dumped at destination. These cars must have tight doors and door fit in order that the lading will not leak out in transit. This class of car is generally built with a pointed hopper, with the dumping door forming one of the sloping sides of said hopper. Various forms of doors and door fits have been made but without success, as the fine lading will work its way around the edge of the door frame and will fall by gravity out of the car. It is to overcome this defect that my invention was conceived. A railroad hopper car built to embody my invention will have the usual form and shape as the pointed V hopper car except at a point near the apex of the hopper the sloping floor and side sheets will be terminated to provide a hori- 0 zontal opening. This opening is closed by a single door with upturned flanges to cap the car structure immediately surrounding said opening, to seal the joint therebetween.

An object of my invention is to provide an operating mechanism for said door that will easily and quickly close and lock a door of this shape.

A further object of my invention is to provide a dump car door that when closed is close to the track upon which said car is standing or moving, that will open to givethe full discharge opening for the lading, and said door in opening or closing will provide ample clearance above the track so as to not interfere with the elevating machinery when placed on the track for transferring the lading dumped from the car to bins, etc.

And a final object of my invention is to provide an operating mechanism for the door in which the closing movement thereof will have greater leverage at the final stage of closing than at 'other stages of said closing in order that the manual efiort expanded will be reduced to a minimum when the final closing of the door is reached.

As my invention can be applied to old cars as well as to new cars, and as this type of car is well known to those skilled in the art, I have therefore only shown on the accompanying drawings portions of a standard dump car with my invention applied thereto, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the bottom of a hopper car showing the door and .door mechanism in closed position.

Figure 2 is the same view as Figure 1 except the door is shown in open position.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on line rte-a,

Figure 1, transversely of the car showing the door and hinges in closed position.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section taken on line bb, Figure 3, to show more clearly the operating mechanism.

Figure 5 shows in perspective and at a larger scale the crank arm of the operating mechanism.

Figure 6 shows in perspective and at a larger scale one link of the operating mechanism.

Figure 7 shows in perspective and at a larger scale the door closing and holding differential lever link.

Figure 8 shows a plan view of a modified form of door for the purpose of closing two adjacent transverse openings across the car, instead of two smaller doors connected together, as shown in Figure 3.

The car as shown in the drawings comprises center sill channel I, center sill reinforcing angle 2, center sill cover plate 3, side plate 4, side stakes 5, end slope floor plate 6, center floor plate 1, side hopper wall plate 8, center hopper floor plate 9. The hopper door-opening is formed on each side of the center sill structure by plates 6, 1, 8, and 9. This opening is closed by door Hi, linkhinged to the center hopper floor plate 1. Hinges H are riveted to floor plate 1 and are provided with openings for hinge pin l2. Link-hinges l3 are pivoted to hinges II and to hinge butts l4. Hinge butts H! are connected to doors ID and I0 and are provided with openings for pins l5 for the purpose of pivoting link-hinges l3 thereto. Door l0 can be made as shown in Figure 3, that is an individual small door It! and Ill for each adjacent opening on opposite sides of the center sill structure and connected together by beam l 6, or may be made as shown in Figure 8, that is one long door H0 to close the adjacent door openings. Door l0, ill or I H1 is made with upwardly extending flanges on all four sides, the angle of the flanges to be identical respectively with the slope of the plates 6, l, 8, and 9. I have shown on the drawings right angle flanges H on three sides of the door and a 30 degree angle flange I8 on the fourth side. The end slope floor plate 6 has a 30 degree slope and flange I8 therefore has the same slope so as to fit snugly thereto. It will be seen by this construction that the door l0 caps the hopper door opening and any fine materials that would leak around openings where the door and floor plates do not close tight will be held by the upturned flanges I! and I8, and would not be lost.

When coal is handled and transported there is a loss in value by breakage owing to the brittleness of the coal.

It is the object in every handling to avoid the breakage of the coal, I therefore provide in my invention a drop door close to the track I36 to reduce the fall of the coal from the car and the resultant breakage thereof. In providing a door close to the track, it is necessary to provide novel means in order that said door when moving from closed to open position will provide ample clearance above the track, for material handling machinery, etc., and to give a full door opening. To accomplish this result, I link-hinge my door Iii to the car. The object of the link-hinge is to control the movement of the door during its opening or closing. The door when opening will have a bodily vertical downward movement, then will swing in a flat arc transversely of the discharge-opening. The re-- verse action takes place in the closing of the door. To control the movement of the front end of the door I provide link I9 on each side of the car, pivoted to the car and said door respectively. This link l3 will swing the front end of said door in a different are to that of the said link-hinge l3. Link I9 is pivoted at 20 to the door l0 and at 2| to the car frame. Bracket 22 is provided to support pivot 2|.

To operate my door I provide operating shaft 23 journaled in bearings 24. Operating shaft 23 is squared at each end to fit ratchet 25 on the outside of the car and into crank arm 26 at the center of the car. Bearing 24 is securely connected to the car and carries locking pawl 21 and pawl lock-28. Crank arm 26 is journaled to the car underframe by bearing 29 and is provided with'a square socket for the operating shaft 23 to fit thereto to control the movement of the crank arm 26. Crank arm 25 is provided with a groove 3|] for link 3| to fit therein. Link 3| is pivoted to crank arm .26 by pin 32 and is pivotally connected at 33 to lever-link 34. Lever-link 34 .is bent at right angles (L or hooked shaped) at 3'! and is provided with a jaw 38 at each end. Eye bolt 39 is adjustably secured to beam I6 and is pivoted at 46 to lever-link 34. Lever-link 34 in the closed and locked position of the door It! is supported on bearing or holding member 35. Bearing 35 is carried by the car frame by brackets 36 and takes the load from the front end of the door ID to the car, through lever-link 34. In this manner the operating shaft 23. and ratchet 25 is relieved of the greater part of the door load, when said door is in closed position.

To dump my car, pawl lock 28 is moved to the position as shown in Figure 2 and then pawl 27 is released from ratchet 25. The operating shaft 23 is then turned in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1, and crank arm 26 will turn in unison therewith. Link 3| will raise the long end of the lever-link 34 and, continued movement will overcome the holding resistance between the leverlink, 34 unlocking the door and the bearing 35, thus, permitting the door H] to swing to open position. Crank arm 26 will come into contact with bearing 35 in the full open position of the door I0, to prevent said door from striking the center sill, and to avoid the possibility of shaft 23 being turned in the wrong direction when closing said door.

To close the door lil, shaft 23 is turned in the opposite direction, as shown by the arrow in Figure 2. The turning movement of the shaft 23 will turn the crank arm 26 and draw link 3|, lever-link 34 and door In to closed position. During this movement links 3| and'34 will come into contact with and be drawn over bearing 35-v Toward the end of the closing movement of the shaft 23, lever-link 34- will move across and have a downward movement of the long end of saidleverlink 34 using bearing 35 as a turning point or fulcrum, thereby lifting the door l0 vertically to closed position. Lever-link 34 at final closed position of door III will be hooked over bearing 35, with the short leg in vertical position and the long leg in substantially horizontal position to lock said door. Bearing 35 may be free to turn in its bearing 36 or may be rigid therewith, without departing from the purpose of the invention. It will readily be seen that during the final closing movement of the operating mechanism, that the long leg of lever-link 34 becomes a differential lever, thereby increasing the power imparted to the turning movement of shaft 23, for the purpose of closing and locking the door ID in closed position. This leverage is necessary at the final movement of the door closing, in order that the door will be brought uptight to the car frame, with the least manual effort. I

The door l0 having upturned flange projections I! and I8 extending upwardly beyond the bottom portions of the discharge-opening, which is formed by the end slope floor plate 6, center floor plate 1, side hopper wall plate 8 and center hopper floor plate 9 respectively, for the purpose of making the door self-sealing, thus preventing the leakage of fine lading from the car in transit. This makes it necessary to hinge the door so that it will have an upward vertical movement during the final closing of said door so as to permit the depending bottom portions of said dischargeopening to enter the upturned flanges of said door. Also it is necessary for the door to have a downward vertical movement during the initial opening of said door to release said depending bottom portions of said discharge-opening from the upturned flanges of said door. Iaccomplish this result by the novel link-hinge arrangement |3 and I9 in combination with the hooked leverlink 34 and bearing member 35. The hooked lever-link slides longitudinally over bearing 35 during the closing operation, until the door is about to enter the depending flanges of the discharge-opening, from this point onward it pivots on bearing member 35 as continued motion of crank 26 and link 3|, which in turning pulls the long arm of the hooked lever-link 34 downwardly and thus raises the short arm of hooked lever-link 34 and the door Ill vertically, thereby permitting the depending flanges B, I, 8, and 9 of the discharge-opening to positively enter the upwardly projecting flanges l1 and I8 of the door. In the door opening operation the reverse action takes place; that is, the motion of crank 26, in the direction of the arrow Figure 1, will cause link 3| to raise the long arm of the hooked lever-link 34. The short arm of this hooked lever-link 34 will be lowered thereby, together with the door 'l0. As the motion continues the hooked lever link 3.4 slides over the bearing member 35 until the door is fully open.

It will be seen by the drawings and the above description that I have provided a very simple and efficient door and door mechanism to accomplish a result heretofore unknown.

Although I have shown and described my im-. provements in considerable detail, I do not wish to be limited to the exact and specific details shown braced within the scope of my invention as covered by the following claims.

What I claim is as follows:

1. In a dump car, the combination of a discharge-opening, a substantially horizontal door for closing said discharge-opening, an operating mechanism for said door and a bearing member carried by the car and separate from said operating mechanism; said operating mechanism comprising a shaft operatively connected to the car body an arm operatively connected to said shaft and a plurality of links connecting said arm to said door; one of said links being ofiset and adapted to ride over said bearing member during the initial closing movement of said door and to fulcrum on said bearing member to raise and lock said door in final closed position, and means for operating said shaft.

2. In a dump car, the combination of a discharge-opening having downwardly projecting members, of a pan-shaped door adapted to cap said downward projections of said dischargeopening when in locked position, of link-hinge means to swing said door in a flat are, an operating mechanism and a bearimg member separate from said operating mechanism; said operating mechanism having a plurality of links pivoted together at relatively fixed points, some of the said links being adapted to ride over the bearing member and to swing the door to substantially the closed position, and one of said links being adapted to fulcrum on said bearing member to raise said door to locked position.

3. In a dump car, the combination of a discharge-opening having downwardly projecting members, of a pan-shaped door to cap said downward projections of said discharge-opening when in locked position, of link-hinge means toswing said door in a flat arc, an operating mechanism, a shaft mounted on the car body and operatively connected to said operating mechanism, and a bearing member carried by the car and separate from said operating mechanism; said operating mechanism having a plurality of different connected links to move said door to substantially the closed position, one of said links being adapted to fulcrum on said bearing member to raise said door to locked position, and means for operating said shaft.

4. In a dump car, the combination of a discharge-opening, a door for closing said dischargeopening, an operating mechanism for said door, and a bearing member for said operating mechanism being operatively attached to the car and separate from said operating mechanism; said operating mechanism having a plurality of connected links, some of said links being adapted to ride on said bearing member during the initial closing movement of said door, one of the said links being hook-shaped and adapted to pivot on said bearing member to finally close and lock said door in closed position.

5. In a dump car, the combination of a discharge-opening, a door for closing said discharge-opening, an operating mechanism for said door consisting of a plurality of connected parts including a hook-shaped member, and a bearing member attached to said dump car separate from said operating mechanism; said operating mechanism adapted to have some of said parts thereof ride over said bearing member to partially close said door and said hook-shaped member being adapted to pivot on said bearing member to finally close said door and to rest on said bearing member to lock said door in final closed position.

6. In a dump car, the combination of a discharge opening, a pan-shaped door for closing and capping said discharge-opening, an operating mechanism for said door consisting of a plurality of connected parts, including a hook-shaped member; and a bearing member for said operating-mechanism being operatively attached to the car, separate from said operating mechanism and adapted to have some parts of said operating mechanism ride thereon to partially close said door and to form a fulcrum for said hook-shaped 

